Classic Study ( Watson + Rayner)

• Aim (W+R)?

  To investigate if they could classically condition fear into a child towards an animal by pairing it with a loud noise.
• Procedure (W+R)?

  In a lab little Albert was presented with the white rat and when he touched it a bar was struck loudly behind his head. He was exposed to building blocks as a control and then was tested at the theatre. The final test included a variety of objects stuff as a rabbit fur and a Santa mask
• Results (W+R)?

  little Albert at first only responded to the loud noise but was later cautious of the rat and after further conditioning began to cry and crawl away from the rat. In session 3 this fear was generalised to white furry objects and in later sessions his reactions became less extreme in a different environment over time
• In conclusion conditioning a phobia response is simple as it only took 2 sessions. Stimulus generalisation also occurred as little Albert showed a fear response to similar looking white furry objects.